2002 German Grand Prix
28 July |officialname = LXIV Großer Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland |circuit = Hockenheimring |location = Hockenheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 4.574 |laps = 67 |distance = 306.458 |pole = Michael Schumacher |polenation = GER |poleteam = |poletime = 1:14.389 |fastestlap = 1:16.462 |fastestlapdriver = Michael Schumacher |fastestlapnation = GER |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 44 |winner = Michael Schumacher |winnernation = GER |winnerteam = |second = Juan Pablo Montoya |secondnation = COL |secondteam = |third = Ralf Schumacher |thirdnation = GER |thirdteam = }} The 2002 German Grand Prix, otherwise officially advertised as the LXIV Großer Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland, was the twelfth of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Hockenheimring in Hockenheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on 28 July 2002.'German GP, 2002', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr692.html, (Accessed 19/11/2019) The race, which was the first to be staged on a heavily redesigned Hockenheimring, would see Michael Schumacher sweep to his ninth win of the season for on home soil. The decision to modify the fearsome Hockenheimring had been made reluctantly, with the old loop through the forest completely eliminated. In its place a smaller, tighter circuit had been penned by Hermann Tilke, featuring a long sweeping curve into a hairpin to enhance overtaking. Qualifying had been dominated by Schumacher, the German ace sweeping to pole position to end a five race pole-streak for Juan Pablo Montoya. The Colombian racer himself would claim fourth for , with Ralf Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello in between. There would be drama ahead of the race, however, as one of the scarlet s limped back to the pits during a re-con lap, with Barrichello forced to take the spare car. That meant that should Michael Schumacher have encountered an issue then he would not have access to a spare car, although the German ace would have no issues before the field lined up to take the start. The start itself was also flawless for Schumacher, with the #1 Ferrari instantly sprinting into the lead from the #5 Williams of Ralf Schumacher. Behind it was largely grid order, although Jenson Button and Eddie Irvine found themselves being elbowed onto the extended tarmac area around turn one and dropped down the field. The rest of the opening lap saw Michael Schumacher establish a small one second lead, while behind Kimi Räikkönen claimed fourth from Montoya at the hairpin. Behind them, David Coulthard would make an excellent double move stick on Giancarlo Fisichella and Olivier Panis, only to get stuck behind Jarno Trulli. As expected the #1 Ferrari soon pulled out a lead, although not at the rate that many had been accustomed too in recent races. Indeed, Ralf Schumacher would manage to keep his brother in sight for the most part, and as the pitstop window loomed the Williams was steadily closing back up to the Ferrari. Michael Schumacher duly made his stop on lap 27, releasing Ralf for a two lap sprint on Michelin tyres that were handling the hot northern European summer's day better than Michael's Bridgestones. Yet, all of the younger Schumacher's hard work would be undone in the pitlane, as the German racer found himself stuck behind a trundling Jacques Villeneuve. With that the race for victory was over, with Ralf emerging six seconds behind and unable to match Michael after the latter's switch to a harder compound. Their second stops came and went with no change, with Michael continuing to ease away as the laps ticked past. Behind, Barrichello ran in third until he had an issue during his second stop and so rejoined behind Montoya, who had battled back ahead of Räikkönen. The Finn himself would have a miserable afternoon later as a puncture damaged his rear suspension on lap 37, although sent him back out until the awful handling proved too much to bother with. Out front, meanwhile, Michael Schumacher cruised across the line to claim a rare home victory, his first at the official German Grand Prix since 1995. Montoya would finish second after Ralf Schumacher had to abandon second late on due to a lack of pneumatic pressure, cured via a trip to the pits, although Ralf would claim a podium finish in third. Barrichello was next ahead of Coulthard and Nick Heidfeld, with the Trulli-train having collapsed when the Italian spun out of the race midway through. The race would also be notable as the final race for , as they ran out of money amid a succession of legal cases against former, and current, drivers. Background Michael Schumacher claimed the FIA Formula One World Championship in record time after his victory in France, leaving Magny-Cours with 96 points to his credit. That granted him an unassailable 62 point lead over Juan Pablo Montoya in second, the Colombian racer having moved ahead of Rubens Barrichello to claim second. Regardless, Montoya, Barrichello, Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard were all now set to battle for second, with just four points separating the quartet. In the Constructors Championship left France on the verge of claiming the crown, although they still had a small distance to go. Indeed, the Scuderia left France with 128 points to their name and a 62 point lead, meaning they would claim the crown as early as the Hungarian Grand Prix. were now left as the only team mathematically capable of making a challenge, although in truth the Anglo-German effort were too far back to seriously challenge. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. Milestones * made their 291st and final Grand Prix appearance as a constructor.'12. Germany 2002', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2002/allemagne.aspx, (Accessed 19/11/2019) * 62nd career victory for Michael Schumacher. * 154th win for as a constructor and engine supplier. ** Ferrari also claimed a new record for most "hattricks" (pole position, fastest lap and victory) - 51.'2002 German GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2002&gp=German%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 19/11/2019) * Juan Pablo Montoya claimed his tenth podium finish. Standings Another race and another increase to Michael Schumacher's crushing Championship lead, the pre-ordained Champion leaving his home race on 106 points, just seventeen shy of his record haul from . Behind, Juan Pablo Montoya had asserted himself at the head of the chase for the runner-up spot, the Colombian racer moving four ahead of Ralf Schumacher in third. The German himself then had a one point margin over Rubens Barrichello, while David Coulthard kept within striking distance on 32 points, eight off of Montoya. In the Constructors Championship had again inched closer to retaining the crown, moving onto 141 points for the campaign. had, however, successfully delayed the inevitable for at least another race, although with 65 points between them the Anglo-German squad would have to ace the next round in Hungary to stand any chance of keeping the fight alive. Behind, had lost ground to their compatriots, while had inched closer to in the battle for fourth. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:2002 Grands Prix Category:German Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in Germany